Monday, July 6, 2009

As I indicated on Twitter over the weekend, there has been a spate of museum-head misanthropy in Montreal of late.

On Friday, July 3, I received a copy of a protest email signed by 80+ Quebec artists, curators and academics expressing shock and indignation over recent events at the Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal, one of Canada's most prominent contemporary art museums.

1) Though it complained mightily about the director-choosing process at the musem, the letter didn't name new director Paulette Gagnon even once. (On June 16, Gagnon was named successor to Marc Mayer, who ran the gallery for four years and is now head of the National Gallery of Canada.) Ninacs is quoted as saying that the protest really is about the selection process, and not about Gagnon per se.

2) The letter in general accuses the museum of not functioning to its potential and being almost invisible on the international scene. It also accuses the board of not seeking out qualified international applicants for the directorship.

4) Board head Omer Marc DeSerres has written a letter back refuting the claims made in the protest missive.

5) Also noted by Le Devoir is the fact that many of the criticisms of the museum in general could be veiled attacks on Marc Mayer, the previous director who just left in January.

6) Despite the large number of recognizable names signing the letter, there are still many curators, critics, dealers and artists who did not sign.

In any case, it's interesting to see such open outcry in Montreal over this issue. For one thing, Montreal is regarded as potentially the best art spot in Canada right now--both for making and for viewing. For another thing, the MACM is regarded in English Canada as a rather forward-thinking institution, what with the love-in over last summer's Quebec Triennial and all. Perhaps on the flipside this is an instance of the community demanding better performance?

I also wonder, would this type of letter ever come out in Toronto? Or Vancouver? Could just be my short history on the scene, but it's hard for me to imagine this type of thing happening here. Thoughts?

Leah,We reacted when we found out that none of the qualified candidates interested in the job even got an interview! The board seems not to have wanted to hear what the best available Canadian directors-curators had to say… So the letter is not written against or on behalf of any individual: it is stemming from an ethical questioning about the very notion of excellence in the art management field and the responsibility of the MACM as a State Society to seriously engage in that quest. This pitiful contest is nevertheless the straw that broke the camel’s back since the grudge against the MACM has been rampant for decades now in Quebec. I guess it looks better from afar: from up close – and despite a recent dusting – it is not at all a forward-looking and open institution but a quite conventional and protected one that is almost invisible outside of Canada. Our first and foremost intention with this letter is therefore to prompt the leaders of the MACM to define a stronger, clearer and highly creative vision of the institution, one that would translate in all aspects of its action and take place within a project for a society.Best, Anne-Marie

p.s. The letter wasn’t sent to dealers (who we thought had too much to loose), could obviously not be signed by professionals from other institutions, circulated for only a few days, and found a lot of people to be already on vacation...

Hi Leah, Good to see you're monitoring the MACM situation. What's missing from most of the reports I've seen is a lack of awareness that artists from other parts of Canada are also concerned and have signed the letter. Certainly, the majority of signers are Montreal curators, historians, artists and critics and that makes sense, but since one of the main issues is the role of the MACM as a national treasure with a mandate that's far from parochial, it also makes sense to acknowledge the Musée’s wider influence and significance. Today's update from Anne-Marie Ninacs provides an excellent overview of the several media locations where the debate is taking place, your blog among them. Thanks and best wishes.